I've been offered a job, what shall I do.....

[themalteser]

Dear all,

I'm in a peculiar situation at the moment.

I've been in my current role for around 4.5 years and I finally decided that it's time to move on, so around a month ago I applied for a role with one of the big 4 accounting practices. I've been through the interview stages and today, to my excitement, they've offered me the job!! I am so happy!! but, .... I have not made any mention about my current heart issue and in July I got my yearly screening. ! !

I am obviously concerned now because my starting date for this new position is in June and my screening is in July, what if I need surgery ?? I feel like I hid something from them. Should I be saying something now or should I leave everything as it is ? I'm excited but worried!

Thank you all.

 

[youngmom]

I probably wouldnt go into details but i would explain I have an appointment coming in july for my routine cardio check up. I would nt want them to have an excuse to terminate me and i would express that no way does this prohibit me from my expertise. good luck!!!!!

 

[Madsometimes]

You will probably have to fill in a medical questionnaire before you get offered your contract. You will need to disclose your heart condition, but only as it is today. If I remember correctly, you are being checked annually, but are not actually scheduled for surgery. So disclose this. You do not need to say that you may need surgery in some years time. You may, or you may not.

It may be the case that the company will ask you to attend for a medical. Just be truthful. It is unlikely that the company will withdraw the job offer on the basis of you having a biscuspid aortic valve (is that what you have?). If they do that, there may be disability discrimination issues which a large company is not going to want to risk.

 

[themalteser]

Hi,

Thank you for your replies so far.

I think one of the questions is whether I have a health condition which prevents me from doing my job, but this does not prevent me doing my job. You are right, they cannot withdraw job offer because I have BAV! that will be wrong surely. And yes definitely, I shouldn't say that I may need surgery etc as this is just a probability.

If I just phone them and say....sorry, forgot to mention, but I got a BAV and I need an annual check up, this will be wrong aswell. So I just say nothing, unless i get a medical questionnaire, in which I will then declare my condition. Will they provide me with a medical questionnaire you reckon ?

 

[youngmom]

you were offered the job based on your skills not your condition. Shoot we are in better shape bc we are getting monitored its the people who don't know whats wrong with them that is more of a treat. i wouldnt share what was wrong. i would agree to the job and request that day off because i have an follow up appointment with my cardiologist. if you dont make a big deal out of it then they cant. you do not have to disclose any medical conditions. they may ask but in my experience it usually has a comment block you can check prefer not to disclose.....of course unless you are trying to get life insurance.

 

[themalteser]

That is very true youngmom... Life insurance is one of the options I get as a package, but I wouldn't be applying for it. Thanks for posting

 

[chaconne]

As a group supervisor in the US, I am prohibited by law from asking a person's medical condition when I interview them. I can, on the other hand, ask: "Are you able to perform the work". If this is true of you, or you expect it to be. There should not be a problem and I would not disclose anything.

 

[kfay]

I'm not sure why you feel the need to tell them anything. It's really not any of their business at this point, and may never be. I'm sure a large portion of the people have some kind of health issue that they get checked for once a year or even more often. It's really just a non-issue at this point in my eyes. Now, if you were being hired to work in let's say a warehouse that required you to lift 50lbs. and your Dr. had told you you couldn't lift more than 20, then you should inform them, but I can't imagine there is any reason you can do office work. When I worked, I never told anyone about my heart history. I would use my allotted time off to schedule my drs appts. I think you are just throwing a huge red flag in their face that just doesn't need to be raised at this point. Just my two cents!

Best of luck to you on your new job!

 

[epstns]

malteser,

chaconne hit it on the head. As a long-time executive in US industry, and having worked for one of the big accounting/consulting firms in the past, I underscore the fact that a hiring official is not allowed to ask about your specific medical situation. They are only allowed to ask if you have any condition which would impact or reduce your ability to do the job. This is the law, and the recruiting people of these firms are well aware of it. They are trained as to what they can and cannot ask. The same is true about forms you may be asked to complete. They can only ask about your health as far as it might impact your ability to do the job.

Be careful about answering indirect questions, though. If there is any "indirect" question about your having seen a doctor or anything like that, answer as generically as possible. "Have you needed to see a doctor for anything unusual in the last year?" "Only the normal things for someone my age."

Another thing - if you plan to stay with the firm for a while, there is no reason why you shouldn't enroll in their group life insurance program. These are usually programs that do not require physical exams and that accept all applicants. They can do this because of the large number of lives they are insuring -- young and old, healthy and not. Sometimes these programs are the only way valvers can get life insurance.

Congratulations on the job offer! Now get ready to be really busy!

 

[themalteser]

Thank you Epstns for your response. Oh yes, I am going to be extremley busy, they told me that it will involve alot of travelling to visit clients. It is really exciting as I see it as a great opportunity.

Your advice is brilliant about answering generically! This wouldn't have cross my mind!

About the life insurance, yes, you're right one of the benefits I receive is life insurance cover for me and family as part of the package, I thought I wouldn't be eligible, but as you said, this is a group cover. I am definitely going to enrol on this. Very helpful Epstns. Thank you for this.

Also thanks chaconne and kfay for your replies - I am naive when it comes to these things because it feels like I am hiding something, but it's true, they hired me based on my skills not condition and this is an office job.

Perhaps, one of the questions I got is, if I get hired in June and July for example (Worst case scenario) I get told that I need the surgery, can they get rid of me because of this ? And if not, can it be treated as sick ?

 

[escargome]

themalteser, don't think this situation to far in advance. take small steps, start the job, go see your doctor. It is not certain that you will require surgery right away is it? One step at a time my friend. Sometimes we humans have a tendency to overthink a situation and get our minds thinking of the worst rather than the better. Glass half full, never half empty.

 

[epstns]

Chris makes a very good point. The psychologists call it "over-exaggeration." That is the process in which we think of all of the possible decision points in a process, mentally choosing the worst outcome at each point until we make ourselves highly anxious that the outcome "has to be so bad." For some of us, the over-exaggeration is our nature. It takes training to control it and it can cause you to make decisions that are less than the best, in fear of negative outcomes. My advice - dont' listen to yourself. Sounds glib, I know. But you know logically that the negatives cannot all happen.

As far as your eventual surgery date, my advice is not to worry now about it. Just take things as they come, because you cannot control this one. Is it technically likely that you will need surgery soon? Without knowing much about your specific condition at the present, I would guess it to be unlikely. After all, your valve is only 5 years old. Unless you have problems, I don't think "now" will be the time. And if it is, this is not something you caused. Again, I am not an attorney, but I don't think employers are allowed to release employees because they become unexpectedly ill. (The story may be different for an employee who is frequently absent with no visible medical cause, calling in "sick" for other reasons.) If an employer chose to release you for needing surgery, I believe that you would have grounds for legal action. Job retention is one consideration. Compensation during the time you're off is another. Most companies have specific policies regarding pay while off on medical leave. Most have some sick days you can use and be paid at normal rates, but this is usually for short-term illinesses like flu, etc. For extended medical leave, most companies have short-term and long-term disability insurance coverage that pays the employee a percentage of their normal pay for a specified number of weeks. I'm not sure how many weeks this coverage usually affords or whether it is universal to all employees of the firm you are going to be with or if there is a waiting period before it becomes effective. These (disability insurance coverages) are things that I would not ask about in the employment process. They should be spelled out in the firm's employee manual, which will likely be given to you in the orientation process.

Working in one of the major accounting/consulting firms can be very rewarding. They usually pay better than industry pays for similar credentials, and the team spirit and peer group support is usually excellent. If you are working on a longer term engagement, the project teams often become very close-knit - almost like family when you're away so often. The only downside I found in the profession was that I was older when I entered, and the demands of family made the constant travel a burden. When it works for you, it is a great field. Congratulations all over again!

 

[themalteser]

Thank you so much for your message. Very helpful. Epstns, thank you for your time to write back, you're right, I shouldn't over exxagerate the issue and true, if I'm going to carry on listening to myself all I got left is just negative things! My wife also commented why I'm turning something exciting to something so miserable!! This firm has got sickness policies in place, which during the first year are not that good, but it also has insurances as you mentioned which are automatic to each employee, health screening, private covers, life etc ! During the first year, the firm only pays 15 days full pay and then I got to take statutory sick pay, which is not good. After the 1st year, the firm pays 6 months on full pay, which is good.

I can get some advice from you about working for a major firm if you don't mind. This is one of the troubles I have. I am currently in a good job working for a major hospital. I don't have any work travel, pay is good but the job is not rewarding. Now I'm going in a job which I will be very much involved on a day to day basis with clients all over the country and obviously, I have to be committed and work really hard to climb the corporate ladder!, but, I also got a young family (3 children) and obviously, I would love to have work-life balance. I know that future career prospects will be rewarding if I take this job, as the name of the company in my CV will be impressive, but the flip side is that I might be out and about for long hours..... (Obviously, I should have thought about this before I actually went for interview.... but I was very excited to be interviewed by such a large firm and as soon as I got the job, I was thrilled.... now, I am turning this to a nightmare!!)

These are the questions from my offer booklet

1. Do you have any illness/impairment/disability (physical or psychological) which may affect your Yes No
work e.g. backache, RSI, stress, anxiety, depression?

2. Have you ever had any illness/impairment/disability which may have been caused or made worse by
your work?

3. Are you having, or waiting for treatment (including medication) or investigations at present?

4. Do you think you may need any adjustments or assistance to help you to do the job?

My concern is question 1 and 3. If I put yes to question 1, they might think I will not be able to work under pressure (Anxiety!). Number 3 might also cause some issues if I put yes, because I am having treatment.

Perhaps I should put no to question 1 as this does not affect my work (never had any sick because of this, not even 1 day!) and yes to question 3. After all, anxiety is manageable and not life threatening.

Thank you very much for all your help everyone.

 

[scott.eitman]

I agree with Chris and Stever. Don't over think it Maybe I missed something, but from what I read,
- you have NOT be told you need surgery.
- you may not be told you need it this year.
- As far as you know, your heart may never get worse and you may never need surgery...after all, you do not seem to be a medical professional.

I had 4 jobs while waiting to be told I needed surgery...including a big 4. I have never disclosed my heart before starting with a new employer.

As for life insurance, take all you can get, when you can get it.

 

[epstns]

I think Scott is right on point here. At the present, for you, surgery has been discussed but not recommended. You MAY need it but you may not. I would not complicate the employment process with things that might be -- after all, they might not just as well.

As far as question 3, In the US, I doubt that they would be allowed to ask that question. Again, I would not mention heart-related issues in that question, because they are not "given." They may not be needed for a long time. I waited almost 10 years between diagnosis and surgery. Maybe you will, too.

Also, in the last decade or so, even the Big 4 have re-addressed their policies on work-life balance. They may offer various adjustments to schedules to allow a better balance, but as always in these firms, there are trade-off's. In other words, if you take an alternate work schedule to allow more family time, it may delay your progress upward in the ranks, or it may make you unable to work certain projects whose time-lines cannot accommodate your schedule. Also, since partners and senior managers often choose their staff for projects, a particular individual may not agree with your choices and may choose not to schedule you onto their projects. The ultimate game in the big firms is to be as busy as you can on "billable" work. To do this, when you're first starting out, you have to become known to key managers, senior managers and partners so that they will want to staff you on their projects. As you become more experienced, you may move into some client relationship roles where you are involved in sales yourself, and can then staff and manage the projects you sell. The key to attaining partnership is sales of profitable billable work. Do a lot of this, and the firm will want to admit you to their partnership, as you are generating profit for the firm.